We've got to make this work We have too
by socialgal5
Summary: After Minimal Loss, Hotch realizes he can't deny his feelings for Prentiss. Can things work out? VERY Hotch/Prentiss, with other characters involved.PLEASE REVIEW
1. Worried About Emily

SET JUST AFTER MINIMAL LOSS

Hotch was worried about Prentiss and Reid, but mostly Prentiss because he had seen the affects of her beating. On the flight home, as everyone else slept soundly, he'd stayed awake and kept an eye on her. When she'd shift her position in her sleep, she'd wince visibly. It concerned him more than he felt like it should.

Words were not sufficient to express the agony he'd been in when he'd heard her being beaten by Cyrus. Even when she'd told them that she could take it, he wanted to bust through the front doors of the compound and kill that son of a gun. Kill him for what he'd just done to the woman that Hotch had secretly come to admire. Adore.

Emily had bonded with every member of the team in a way he hadn't imagined anyone could. They were all such a tightly knit family and, usually, outsiders weren't welcome. Somehow, Emily had managed to earn the respect of her teammates. She'd had Aaron's from the minute he learned she had given up her job for him.

Now, he sat outside her apartment building, trying to decide what to do. Should he go up and check on her, or just wait until Monday when she'd most likely be at the office. He worried that if he went to see her now, he wouldn't be able to hide his emotions very well, something that Hotch was normally very good at. He tried to keep work apart from personal life, but now he hurried to the office every day, just to catch a glimpse of Emily's smiling face and long brown hair swinging when she turned to greet him.

Swallowing hard, he got out of his car and went inside, then took the elevator up three floors, then strolled quickly down the hallway and knocked on her door before he lost what little nerve he had.


	2. She Needs Him

Emily answered the door and instantly, Hotch knew he'd made a mistake. She looked more attractive than he'd ever seen her, despite the fact that she was only wearing yoga pants and a thin, tight tank top that showed a small portion of her stomach.

"Hotch?" Emily said in disbelief. "Is something wrong? It's late!"

"No, nothing's wrong," Hotch assured her, trying not to think about how much he wanted to be close to her at that very moment. "I just came by to check on you."

Emily smiled. "C'mon in. I was just about to make some coffee. Would you like some?" She opened the door wide and gestured for him to come in, which he did.

Emily's apartment wasn't as clean as Hotch had thought it would be. Her knock-off designer bag was on the table in the small foyer with her car keys and gun next to it. The decorations were somewhat contemporary and modern, but everything looked very comfortable and lived in, despite the fact that she lived alone and wasn't there half the time.

"You've got a nice place," Hotch commented, following Emily into the kitchen where she pulled a container of Folgers Medium Blend out of the freezer and began brewing a fresh pot of coffee.

"Thanks," Emily replied, pouring water into the coffee maker. "I've barely been here since I moved in, but I call it home."

"It's nice to have a place to call home," Hotch said. As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Hotch flinched inwardly. What kind of conversation was this? He wanted to tell her how worried he had been about her and how much he'd come to care about her, even though he was certain that he would be rejected. She was in her thirties, tall, and extremely attractive. She would have no trouble finding herself a boyfriend. Hotch, on the other hand, was over forty, had been through a nasty divorce, and had son to look after. There was no way she could find him attractive.

"Yeah, it is," Emily agreed, interrupting his thoughts.

Taking a deep breath, Hotch took several steps closer to her. "Listen, Emily, I really came over here to check on you—make sure you were recovering all right."

"I'm fine," Emily snapped, looking down.

Instantly, Aaron backed away little. "I'm sorry. I was worried. I'll go now." He turned and walked towards the door, all the hope draining out of him. It was worthless—he was going to get hurt if he tried getting close to Emily. She didn't care about him.

"Wait, Hotch!" she called after him. He stopped and half turned, looking at her painfully.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, walking towards him. "You were right to worried. I'll admit, I'm a little shaken up by the whole thing." She absently tucked some hair behind her ear and Hotchner saw the bruised, cut side of her face. Slowly, he walked towards her, reached out his hand, and gently cupped her face in it. Her dark eyes fluttered shut and she leaned into his touch. Suddenly, he saw two tears slip down her cheek. In a moment, he had his strong arms around her and she was clinging to his desperately. She needed him to be strong for her right now and he was happy to be there.

For the longest time, he held her like that. She sobbed onto his French blue dress shirt and pressed herself against him. After a while, she pulled back a little and smoothed his shirt down. He looked down into her eyes for a moment, and then leaned in close and pressed his mouth against hers.


	3. An Innocent First Night

_I'm really trying to find out if anyone's reading my fanfic. Please review and let me know what you think. Should I continue? Am I portraying the characters accurately so far?_

As Hotch backed Emily across the room, he shed his suit coat and his tie followed soon afterwards. Before she could stop it, Emily found herself backed up against the wall, clinging to her boss frantically. He was kissing her with reckless abandon and pulling her tight against him. For a moment or two, she had been hesitant to respond but when she realized that this wasn't an accidental, momentary comforting kiss, she'd let her lips move in sync with his as her hands slid up his muscular chest and around his neck.

When they finally broke apart, Emily leaned her forehead against Aaron's, gasping for air.

"That was…unexpected," she whispered, somehow feeling that being quiet seemed to fit the passionate moment.

"But not unwelcome?" Hotch wanted to know, running his hand down her arm lightly, making her shiver unconsciously.

She took a deep breath and sighed. "No, not unwelcome. Just unexpected. It seemed like you've been holding that in for a while."

Hotch gave her his famous half smile and lightly pressed his lips against hers again. "Are you game for this?" he asked, his fingers softly touching the bruises on her face.

Emily breathed in sharply. "Game for what exactly?"

"For us," Hotch replied simply. "For us to be together."

The slender brunette smiled seductively. "I thought you'd never ask," she breathed, just before she flung herself against him and the two FBI agents began making out like co-eds on Spring Break.

The next morning, Saturday, Prentiss woke up on the large leather couch with two strong arms still tight around her. Her head was resting on Hotch's broad, solid chest and it seemed to fit there naturally. Their legs were tangled up and she smiled when she remembered how they had made it to the couch and made out for over an hour. Each had wanted the same thing for a long time—it was like denying oneself something for years. One taste of each other and they were addicted.

Finally, they had fallen asleep in each other's arms, but not before Emily had cried again and Hotch had been held her tightly, stroking her back and kissing her hair. Despite the fact that all they'd done was kiss, Emily had never felt closer to any man in her life. She wanted to make this last. She sighed, closed her eyes, and went back to sleep.

When Hotch woke up, his watch said it was almost eleven o'clock. Emily was sound asleep in his arms and he kissed the top of her head softly. She opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"Good morning," he told her, smiling down. It was a real smile—not the partial one he gave so much all the time.

"So, we're doing this, I guess. After last night, I'm not sure I can go back," Emily told him. "I'm all yours."


	4. It feels so natural

_I'm really trying to find out if anyone's reading my fanfic. Please review and let me know what you think. Should I continue? Am I portraying the characters accurately so far?_

While Hotch went to take a shower, Emily pulled her long hair back into a loose, looped ponytail, turned on a well-worn Bob Marley CD and then went into the spacious kitchen to cook breakfast for the two of them. She was hungry and wanted something good to eat.

Hotch emerged from the shower and immediately smelled bacon frying. He walked into the kitchen and his suspicions were confirmed. Emily had pancakes on the griddle, bacon frying in a pan on the stove, and coffee brewing. He leaned against the doorframe and watched her silently. She was swaying along to the reggae gently and quietly singing the words with the songs. Her long hair was up off her shoulders and her soft, white skin was more exposed. Her black, spandex yoga pants had slipped down further on her hips and her tank top seemed to have ridden up somewhat. He was more attracted to her than he'd ever been.

Emily seemed to sense his presence and she glanced over her shoulder and smiled at him. "Are you enjoying watch me cook?"

"Yes, as a matter-of-fact, I am." He smiled at her again and walked over to her, gathering up in his arms carefully.

"I look like crud, and you're still attracted to me?" Her tone portrayed her disbelief.

Aaron leaned in closed kissed her long and lingeringly. "Yes, sweetheart, as a matter of fact, I am. I like you like this. You seem—more yourself." Then he kissed her again and her metal spatula fell to the floor as Hotch pressed her back against the refrigerator door.

"Stop!" she exclaimed playfully, struggling to get away from him. "You're going to make me burn your pancakes!" She pushed him away from her, picked up her spatula and waved it at him threateningly.

Hotch gazed at Emily as she flipped the pancakes and turned the temp on the bacon down. It had been so long since he had felt this way about someone. He and Haley had "lost that lovin' feeling" years ago. Life had become a monotonous routine for them. Kisses had become a mandatory sign of affection. For some unknown reason, Hotch didn't think things would grow boring with this woman. Not only did she understand his job, but she was on his team.

Strangely enough, the fact that Aaron was starting a relationship with someone who took orders from him didn't make him anxious. The team would understand and allow it, as long as it didn't get in the way of their work. Just looking at Emily made Hotch want to hold her close again and kiss her lips, neck, cheeks…he just wanted her.

After breakfast, Emily took a shower while Hotch went back to his place to change clothes. As she turned the water on, she grabbed a bottle of Ralph Lauren Romance bodywash. It had been a gift from J.J. last Christmas and, right now, it fit the mood Emily was in. She lathered her body up with it and then rinsed off the suds.

When she got out, she assumed that Hotch was still gone. She walked out of the bathroom, wearing a short towel wrapped around herself and bumped right into Hotch.


	5. He seems decent

_I'm really trying to find out if anyone's reading my fanfic. Please review and let me know what you think. Should I continue? Am I portraying the characters accurately so far?_

"You're back already?!" Emily exclaimed, heat creeping up the back of her neck from embarrassment.

"I live nearby," Hotch reminded her, trying not to sweep his eyes up and down her. Her dark brown hair was dripping wet and her short bangs were plastered to her forehead. His shrewd sense of smell detected some designer fragrance on her.

"Right." Emily looked up at Hotch shyly and before she knew it, the two of them were smiling at one another.

After Emily put on some blue jeans and a sweatshirt and dried her long hair, the two of them decided to run some errands and then grab some lunch in the downtown, quaint part of town.

Stepping out into the hallway, Hotch let Emily lock her apartment door and then, as they walked towards the elevator, he brushed his hand against hers, trying to convey what he wanted. Immediately, she slipped her hand into his.

"I feel like a teenager again," Emily laughed, walking into the otherwise empty elevator.

"Same here," Hotch replied, squeezing her hand tightly. "It feels good."

When they got downstairs, Mrs. Wilson, the owner of the apartments, was planting some flowers outside.

"Oh! Emily, I didn't know you were home!" she greeted the young woman. "You keep such odd hours."

"It's good to see you again, ma'am. This is Aaron Hotchner, my boss and…" Emily wasn't sure what else to add to the sentence.

"I'm Emily's boyfriend," Hotch finished the sentence for her, taking her by surprise.

"I've been hoping she'd find a nice young man," the elderly woman told Hotch, shaking his hand lightly. "You seem decent."

For the first time in months, Hotch laughed. He actually laughed. And when he did it, his features became twice as handsome. Emily liked that side of him.

"Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, ma'am, and I'm sure you'll be seeing more of me very soon."

The two of them left the apartments yard and started walking down the street. Emily lived in the old part of town, near where they would eat dinner, and both had decided that fresh air would suit them both.

"She liked you," Emily commented, slipping her arm into the crook of Aaron's elbow.

"Does she see you bring a lot of guys through?" Hotch wanted to know, pretending that his question was totally innocent. Emily, however, caught his meaning and elbowed him in the ribs.

"No! I don't have time to date, Boss. In case you've forgotten, we do work some unusual hours."

Hotch smiled again and Emily marveled at how much he kept doing that. It had only been twelve hours since their first kiss.

"I just make us work longer hours so I can be around you more," he assured her.  
"You're a terrible liar and an even worse flirt!" Emily told him!


	6. Derek gets suspicious

_I'm really trying to find out if anyone's reading my fanfic. Please review and let me know what you think. Should I continue? Am I portraying the characters accurately so far? Also, I just can't get used to calling Hotch "Aaron". It just doesn't flow…to me, anyway. Let me know what you think._

After walking around and window-shopping for an hour, Hotch insisted that the two of them stop and get some lunch at an outdoor café.

"I'm not hungry," Emily objected, trying to drag him away from the restaurant, despite the fact that she could smell the food.

"I don't care. We need to get some meat on your bones," Aaron told her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "You're too skinny."

Suddenly, right there on the sidewalk, Hotch took Emily into his arms and kissed her tenderly. "Too think I almost lost you," he whispered, holding her close.

"But you didn't," Emily said forcefully. "Now, if you're going to insist that we eat then let's eat."

Over soups and sandwiches, the two of them discussed exactly how they could keep their new relationship hidden from the team. They decided to just act they way they always did—like they had their differences that simply couldn't be resolved.

Monday morning, Emily and Hotch arrived at the office at the same time. Morgan, always slightly earlier than anyone else, observed their actions. He could see them coming down the hallway, but they still hadn't seen him. They were talking to one another and Morgan choked on his coffee when he saw Hotch laughing at something Emily said.

Strangely, the minute the two walked in the door, their facial expressions changed. They instantly moved away from each other and stopped smiling. Derek chuckled to himself. Finally, one of them had made a move it seemed, and now they were trying to hide it.

Not to much later, Garcia walked into the office. Her hair was streaked lime green today and her clothes and eyeshadow matched it.

"Mornin', princess," he greeted her.

"I'll show you a good mornin', hot stuff," Penelope replied seductively, winking slyly at him.

"I need to talk to you, sweet cheeks," he told her, following her to her office.

"What magic spell do you need me to perform this morning, my beautiful god?" she wanted to know, setting her bag down on the desk.

"Has Emily mentioned anything about something between her and Hotch?" Morgan wanted to know. He was well aware of the fact that, occasionally, all the girls of the BAU went out for a drink.

"Sorry, sweetness, but I don't really think our boss is they type to break the rules. And no, she hasn't said anything."

Later that week, the team returned from working the particularly gruesome case at the old, run-down motel. While Emily was finishing up her paperwork, her cell phone beeped. It was a text message from Hotch.

"Tonight?" was all it said. He was wondering if he could come over after work.

"Please," was the response Emily sent back. The entire time she'd been working the case, she'd felt sick. These poor couples, just looking for a little country getaway, had become part of a living nightmare. It was mind-blowing.

Emily had had time to change into her beloved yoga pants and an FBI sweatshirt before Hotch arrived. He too, looked extremely tired. In his hand, he held a case of beer.

"I thought we might could use a drink," he commented, walking into the apartment.

"Sounds good to me." She put her arms around him, hugging him tightly. After seeing what had happened to those couples, she wanted to keep him close. He was all she had right now. Hotch seemed to sense her desperation and kissed her forehead softly.

"It's gonna be okay," he whispered to her. "I'm right here."

_I thought using the episode that came right after Minimal Loss was a good idea, but sticking to exactly what's happened since then will be hard. I'm not going to worry about that anymore, so don't expect this to follow along with what's happened so far this season._


	7. Nightmare

I'm really trying to find out if anyone's reading my fanfic. Please review and let me know what you think. Should I continue? Am I portraying the characters accurately so far? Also, I just can't get used to calling Hotch "Aaron". It just doesn't flow…to me, anyway. Let me know what you think.

As Hotch and Prentiss sat close together on the sofa that night, drinking the beer slowly. Neither one was saying very much, but they didn't really need to.

After a while, Emily spoke. "Do you ever feel like you wish we'd gotten these cases earlier? Do you ever wonder why someone didn't see the patterns earlier so we could have saved more lives?"

"Every day," Hotch replied simply. "But it's the nature of our job. We're called in when things become desperate and hopeless. We are a last resort."

Emily shook her head. Something inside her felt ripped apart. She needed Hotch more than ever right now after seeing what had happened to those couples. What the husbands had been forced to watch as their wives were raped.

Slowly, several tears rolled down her cheeks, smearing her eye makeup a little. "I hate coming in at the last minute," she whispered. "Sometimes I ask myself why I do it? Why I endure the horror?" She looked down at the beer bottle in her hands. "I never come up with an answer that works for me."

"You should get some rest," Hotch told her, kissing the top of her head and squeezing her close. "I'll stay in the guest room tonight."

It was close to three in the morning when Aaron was awakened by sobbing in the room next to his. It took him a minute or two to fully wake up and realize what was going on. The noise was coming from Emily's bedroom.

Alarmed and worried, he jumped out of his bed and hurried across the hall and into Emily's bedroom. The moonlight was shining in her window and he could see her lying beneath the covers, crying pitifully. She was having a nightmare and it was obviously scaring her something awful.

Hotch turned on a light and tapped her softly on the arm. She woke up with a start and gasped loudly. Her pajamas were soaked in cold sweat and her pillow was drenched from tears.

"You're safe," he assured her, pulling her close. "It was just a dream."

"It was us," she sobbed. "He—he had us in the motel and he was…and he was making you watch and there wasn't anything you could do to help me. My gun was so—so close but I just couldn't quite reach it!"

"Emily, it's okay. I'm right here. No one is going to hurt you. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you ever again. I promise." For the rest of the night, Hotch stayed with her, his arms tight around her and her back against his chest.

In the morning, when Emily woke up, she was lying alone on her pillow. One look in the bathroom mirror told her that she needed more rest, but it was time to get ready for work. Hotch was in the kitchen making coffee when she got out of the shower.

"You okay?" he asked, genuinely concerned.

"I'll be all right soon," she assured him, getting a container of yogurt out of the fridge. "This wasn't the first time I've had nightmares about a case." She gave him a brave smile. "But it was the first time I've had you there to hold me."

Hotch kissed her forehead softly and then her mouth. "I'll see you at work."


	8. Flowers

I'm really trying to find out if anyone's reading my fanfic. Please review and let me know what you think. Should I continue? Am I portraying the characters accurately so far? Also, I just can't get used to calling Hotch "Aaron". It just doesn't flow…to me, anyway. Let me know what you think.

That day at the office, Emily was really dragging. Her teammates could tell it, but they didn't say anything. Aaron, in his office, could see her trying to do her paperwork but somehow he knew she wasn't concentrating on it. An idea popped into his head. Most women liked flowers, and even though Emily was obviously the exception to average women, he was willing to bet she'd be touched by the gesture. Pulling a phone book out of his desk drawer, he located a nearby florist in the yellow pages and called to order a bouquet.

Emily was up to her neck in paperwork, something she absolutely hated doing. That was the downside to working cases; you always had to fill out the paperwork when you were done. Her eyes were aching dully from lack of sleep the previous night and her brain kept replaying the nightmare over and over again, torturing her. She had to keep quiet and stay calm. Besides, she could feel Morgan glance at her every time she sighed.

"Somethin' wrong today, Emily?" Derek wanted to know, looking up from his own paperwork.

"Just tired," she hastened to assure him. "This last case was just…"

"Yeah," Derek agreed. "I know." He was just about to ask her some more questions and try to profile her behavior, but he was interrupted by the delivery of a bouquet of red and white roses for Emily. A dozen roses.

"Emily Prentiss, who are those beautiful flowers from?" Derek demanded to know. At that exact moment, Garcia walked into the office, carrying her finished paperwork.

"You got a dozen roses? That is so not fair! It's not even Valentine's Day!" Garcia exclaimed. "Who are they from?"

Emily looked at the card, curious as to who they were from. All it said was,

"I hope your day is a wonderful as you are. Love, Me."

Penelope's mouth dropped open and Derek coughed a little, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Emily Prentiss, do you have a boyfriend?" Garcia wanted to know. "You have to tell us everything."

Derek and Reid, who was listening from nearby, moved a little closer, trying to hear what was about to be said.

"Don't you wish you knew?" Emily said mysteriously, smiling slyly.


	9. Derek's Discovery

I'm really trying to find out if anyone's reading my fanfic. Please review and let me know what you think. Should I continue? Am I portraying the characters accurately so far? Also, I just can't get used to calling Hotch "Aaron". It just doesn't flow…to me, anyway. Let me know what you think.

Derek was convinced that something was going on between Emily and Hotch. It didn't bother him, but he didn't like secrets in the team. Determined to get to the bottom of all this, he followed Garcia back to her office.

"Baby girl, we've got to figure out where those flowers came from. The name on the card was Maggie's Marigolds. Can you look that up on this computer of yours?" He sat down in the extra office chair behind her.

"I can do whatever you command me to, my love." Garcia typed the name of the florist into her database and instantly came up with the phone number. In two seconds, the headset was already dialing the number.

"Yes, this is Penelope Garcia with the FBI. A friend of mine just recently received flowers and I was wondering if you could tell me who sent them to her?" Garcia paused while the woman on the other end of the phone spoke.

"You can't release that information to the public? Honey, did you not here where I said I'm calling from? The Federal Bureau of Investigation! At Quantico!"

Suddenly Garcia ripped the headset off and glared at it fiercely. "She hung up on me!"

"Here, princess, give me the headset. I'll get the information from her," Morgan said, taking the piece of equipment from her.

When Derek called, a young woman answered and he instantly turned on his sexiest, most suave voice. "Hey there, Ella, my girlfriend got some flowers a little while ago from some guy and I really wanna know who they were from. It's kinda creeping her out. Think you can help me?"

He looked at Garcia and winked, smiling mischievously. "Yeah, they were delivered to the FBI building at Quantico to Emily Prentiss." He waited a couple more seconds. "You say they were from Aaron Hotchner?"

Garcia's mouth dropped open and she made no effort to close it again. Her brightly colored pen fell out of her hand and her eyes got wider than ever. Derek hung up, smiling and shaking his head.

"Just as I suspected," he muttered, chuckling to himself.

"What exactly does this mean, Derek?" Penelope wanted to know.

"It means, baby girl, that Prentiss and Hotch have some sort of romance goin' on. That's what this means."

"Oh my gosh!" Garcia exclaimed. "I need to call J.J. She'll want to hear about this, believe me!"


	10. An Announcement

"You really shouldn't have sent me flowers," Emily insisted, pouring glasses of wine for both her and Aaron that night at her apartment. "But the gesture was very sweet and the flowers are beautiful."

Aaron kissed Emily on the forehead gently. "I just wanted you to feel special. You needed some cheering up, and I thought you might like the gesture of flowers."

Emily sipped her wine slowly, savoring the taste. "You're right. I did appreciate the gesture." She glanced over at the beautiful roses that were in the center of her kitchen table.

"I think the team knows," Hotch said, checking the simmering spaghetti sauce. Italian food was on the menu. "About us, I mean. The flowers might have been a dead giveaway."

Emily reached into the fridge and pulled out the butter so she could put some garlic toast in the oven. "Do you think we should tell them about us, before they start spreading the gossip?"

"What do you think?" Hotch broke the spaghetti noodles into a pot of boiling water and stirred them in. He enjoyed helping Emily cook.

"Maybe we should. Should we call them to come over after dinner?"

Emily thought for a few minutes as she buttered the bread. "I hadn't wanted to tell them this early, but if you think they're just going to speculate until we tell them, we might as well go ahead and do it."

"I'll call Derek and Rossi," Hotch said, pulling his phone out of the clip on his belt.

"I'll take care of Garcia and Reid," Emily replied.

That night, the entire team gathered in the living room of Emily's apartment. J.J. was on speakerphone and even Agent Jordan had been asked to come. Everybody was drinking either wine or beer and Emily had set out some peanuts in a bowl.

"We have an announcement to make to the team," Hotch spoke up, standing next to the chair Emily was sitting in.

"We already know," Rossi interrupted. "Garcia did a little research after the flowers arrived."

" I told you the team already knew," Hotch told Emily. "We can't keep secrets for long at all."

"So, the reason that we wanted to tell everyone was to see where you stood. Is this all right with you guys, or do we need to do something about it?" Emily turned to face her friends, praying they wouldn't be against the relationship.

"I think I speak for everyone when I say…it's about time!" Penelope declared loudly.

"I'm with Garcia," Derek agreed.

"Same here," Rossi said.

"I've been waiting for this for ages," J.J.'s voice came through the speakerphone. "We all saw it coming…except for you two."

"Well, since you are all so obliging, let me just say that this won't get in the way of work," Hotch promised.

"We know it won't, Hotch," Derek said. "It's cool with us."

Emily looked up at Hotch. "This is better than I expected."


End file.
